Saturday, April 21, 2012

When I think about actors I think about
the similarities to film-makers. Both groups are hard-working, often
without consistent financial reward, giving all of themselves. They are
creative, collaborative but most of all they express their voice in an effort
to seek truth. In the quest for truth I would argue no one puts it all on the
line in the face of the public more than an actor does.

So it comes as no surprise that Spencer
McLaren recounts with candour his experiences as an actor and producer for the
benefit of the Line by Line audience.

There are blatant truths to face in this
industry. We may not like all of them but they exist. For instance, the one
about writers writing for themselves. Spencer says no to that. You are writing
for an audience and, no matter how much you will it, if your screenplay is for
no specific group then your script is for no one but you. If the script
and therefore the subsequent film does not have an audience, you will not get a
distributor to touch it.

So now is the time, as writers, to think
about why you are making that film, and if that story is one that must be told,
then who are these people who will listen? You cannot say everyone is my
audience. There are very few films that connect with everybody. If you say your
film is for everyone you are asking your distributor to place an ad in every
possible media outlet without discretion because as Spencer said if it's for
everyone how do you decide between an ad in Cleo and an ad in Fishing Weekly?
Decide now. While you are writing your idea concisely. Before you take it to
first draft, know who will watch your film.

Spencer uses his experience making
Surviving Georgia as an example. The film sits in unexplored territory between
two genres (commercial romantic comedy and art house drama.) They took a risk
and found out too late that it would not appeal broadly, from the perspective
of distributors who did not pick up the film. The question remains, can it be
pitched properly to the audience of either genre? If it can't be sold to the
ticket buyers, you won't fill enough seats at the cinema to ensure a decent
run. Surviving Georgia secured 15 screens Australia-wide, some for a couple of
days. If there is an audience for this film it may not have reached them yet.
The names of Holly Valance, Shane Jacobson, Pia Miranda and Caroline O'Connor
were not enough. Spencer warns you can't rely on the actor's following to reach
the market. A television screening may prove there's an untapped audience for
this film. Or not. The film is in the hands of a sales agent in the UK and has
sold into a number of territories.

Attracting Australian audiences to
Australian films has been a constant debate in the media. Whether you blame the
film-makers or the audiences for low box office sales (an argument I won't
engage in here) as a writer you must not put your head in the sand and pretend
this is not an issue for your film. Making your screenplay and film better than
good enough and knowing your audience are ways to minimise the risk.

As a producer, Spencer is surprised how
many unready (and unreadable) scripts land on his desk. Don't submit your
script before it is ready. From my point of view this does not mean sit alone
in a darkened room for seven years until it's right. It does not mean don't
collaborate or don't test your idea with producers. Spencer says look for
truthful people who can be constructive. You don't need readers who beat you to
a pulp with their criticisms nor yes men who find every word agreeable. An
inner circle that ensures the script does not get out in the open too soon. At
Line by Line we hope the intensive lab meets this requirement for all 8
participants. The open stream of Line by Line provides an opportunity to
make such connections with your peers.

Spencer recommends reading "Save the
Cat" to learn to get your one liner down. A great story with a
nominated audience to be delivered in a single line pitch. You have just four
seconds to captivate. Spencer relates a situation at home when you're chatting over
what film to watch. You're keen on one and the other person says 'What's it
about?' If you can't get their interest then, they're gone, moved onto the next
thing. 'What else is on?' they'll say. These days I'd argue they might be lost
to their iPhone twitter page before you get a chance to browse the TV guide for
the next option. You missed your opportunity to sell them that idea and it
wasn't even your film you were pitching! (Maybe we should all be practicing our
pitching skills with loved ones. Convince them to watch what you want to watch
on TV. If you pick crap films it will last until they stop trusting your
judgement. It's too late for me. In my household I lost all credibility when I
pitched three minimalist French films in one week).

Make sure when you write that script it
is ready to be written, whether it takes a month or years of work to draft it
to production-ready stage, just don't submit an unready script. When you
print, bind and title your work with the satisfaction of a first-drafter, you
are telling your reader that this script is ready. If it's not ready it'll fly
itself into the rubbish bin faster than you can say please recycle. That script
must go through development before it can be taken seriously. So use the
development process however you can. It's not about how fast or long it takes
to write, it doesn't have to be laborious, but it's about the quality and
readiness of the work submitted.

Of course when a room full of writers
hears that 80 scripts in every 100 will be binned they want to know why! Two
of the standout complaints from Spencer are dialogue and plot.

Firstly, let's deal with plot. Far too
many screenplays have a strong visual style as depicted in the big print (the
descriptive text around dialogue) demonstrating directorial flair but virtually
no consideration to structure and plot. Scenes exist without a core to the
content. Who wants film-goers saying that the movie was awful but looked
beautiful?! This could be in part a consequence of a writer-director culture
here but whatever the reason your film needs to work as a story with all the
structure and plot elements that make it a good read.

Secondly, as an actor, Spencer knows when
dialogue rings true. A cringe factor for him is when the writer's voice is the
only one cutting through. Characters say things that are far too sophisticated
and they all sound the same. Dialogue is not well observed or well written.
This is absolutely a skill Spencer brings to producing. He can read the script
and know that the writer's voice is in every character.

Spencer possesses this skill as a result
of years of acting experience, best applied during the inclusive writing
process followed by the creators of Secret Life of Us. Each episode involved a
sit down read-through with all stakeholders present. The writers and actors in
the same room talking about what will happen in the series. And he tells us why
this is so important. Actors are the custodians of the character's history. Writers
change from episode to episode and even if the same writer returns
how can one person be completely in every character's head? It's just not
possible. Writers rely on the actors' knowledge of character history and
believability - what rings true - and if they aren't using the actors they
should be.

Transferring that idea to feature films,
can we not as writers try to find more ways to include actors in the
development process? The actor is a tool you can use as a writer. Your script
can be spoken out loud and with the actor's help you can delve deeper into the
character's perspective. Yet another way we Line by Liners can be
collaborative!

Spencer learnt big lessons as a first
time producer. And I loved his reality check for writers. Next time a writer is
floundering - not delivering what is expected - he'll get another writer to
finish it. Writers in Australia have to learn to be less precious. By all
means if you want to tell your story, go ahead and make your film, especially
if you can raise the money required. There's nothing stopping you in this free
country from doing so. Just don't expect anyone to see it. (There are
just 7 arthouse cinemas in Australia and competition is fierce.) The producer
is one of the risk-takers in the film-making process. If he or she has tested
it and it's not making traction with distributors and the writer can't get it
to work, then it's time for fresh eyes. And if that means a new writer then so
be it.

Spencer managed to get Surviving Georgia shot
without funding agency involvement. Budget can have a big impact on writing. Is
the explosion/snow fall necessary or is the core story still there without it?
They lost an investor just four weeks before filming, dropping their
budget significantly, forcing late script changes.

Glitches appeared during post (part
government funded). Changes in the script before filming left holes that could
not be filled by later additions. The script is the foundation. His plea to
make sure the script is ready before filming comes from this personal
experience. Spencer went into production with the attitude "If I
don't shoot something I'll shoot myself." I might add to that,
jumping the gun means if you don't kill yourself your critics will open-fire on
you later. Despite problems in post they got a film they were happy with from
the material they had.

Spencer opened his presentation
commending Duncan Jones and other speakers for their supportive comments,
fostering creativity. He was concerned that his marketplace reality check might
come across too harsh but he told us the truth anyway. It's what we need to
hear. In retrospect I thought that all our speakers had done a great job
covering the positive and negative aspects of the industry which makes me think
maybe I have my "be positive" filter on when I'm blogging. Nothing
Spencer said hurt or sickened or crushed anyone to my knowledge so if he wants
to be harsh he might have to try harder next time! I like to think early career
writers accept that failure happens much more often in this industry than
success. You can see failure as the rope with which to hang yourself or the
rope that you can climb, calluses and all, to the next stage of learning and
opportunity for a fresh attempt. I have every faith that Spencer's next
rope climb is to even bigger and better things.

Let's get the conversation started with
actors. They will help us use our writing voices to best advantage and get to
the truth of who these characters are. As a writer, the quest for truth shall
set you free!